The Forlorn
by Chibi Orochi-kun
Summary: "Guileless son, each day you grow older. Each moment I'm watching as my vengence unfolds. The child of my body will die in returning the birth right they stole." Having learned the truth, will Naruto fulfill his purpose or will he forge his own path?
1. The Incomplete

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII; they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix respectively.  
**  
The Incomplete

A chill traveled down her spine, but it wasn't from the stale hospital air. It came from the eerily quiet boy she was watching from the door. He sat on the bed, silent as death and eyes hazed over, staring into nothing. She had never seen the boy like this, never. It never even occurred to her that he could act like this. It was basically considered blasphemy to say his name and "silent" in the same sentence. And yet there he sat, a shadow of the vibrant boy he was before that mission. He'd been like this since he had woken up a week ago. Before that he had been unconscious for three days. In total, it had been around a week and a half since he was brought back from the valley of the end near death. Around a week and a half since his teammate proved himself to be a traitor by trying to kill him. It worried Tsunade greatly that he was so unresponsive. He had not spoken a word or even acknowledged anyone since he had woken up. He just sat there, looking at nothing. No matter what was going on around him, even when they moved him to change the sheets and to change his bandages, no response. None at all. Not even his friends could get him out of this, they all had tried. They were lucky that he was relaxed enough to get water and soft food into him, she hadn't wanted to keep him on a IV after he had woken up. Something was wrong and she didn't like it.

Jiraiya thought that it was the battle with Sasuke that caused this, the loss it meant. Perhaps that was part of it, he could be traumatized mentally from it. After all, his best friend had tried to kill him from the looks of it, who wouldn't be a little shaken. But this was far from "a little shaken", this was bordering on being placed in a mental hospital. She'd checked his head several times, looking for any signs of physical damage but never found any. Tsunade was half tempted to ask Inoichi to get into the kids head, but she threw that idea out. If he came back to himself during or after that, she'd lose all trust he had in her. It broke her heart to see her little brother in such a state but there wasn't much she could do other than pray and keep an eye on him. It had been decided that he would remain in the hospital until he showed signs that he was getting better, no matter how long it took. If she sent him home, who knows what would happen, at least here there would be eyes on him all day and all night. He'd be safe. Now if only she could shake the feeling that any threats to him wouldn't be from the outside, but within him.

When she had first seen him awake and sitting up, she had thought for a brief moment that she had stepped back in time. Despite the age difference, the look on the face was the same. It reminded her of when Orochimaru had defected. She had been on a mission at the time, she had arrived home to hear word from Sensei that one teammate was traitor and the other was hospitalized. Jiraiya had had that same look of nothingness on his face when she saw him in the hospital. He looked so broken and torn that she had actually hugged him, that was the only time her breasts didn't cause a reaction out of him. Tsunade wondered if perhaps that was part of what was keeping Naruto this way. Guilt, weakness, failure, those were the words Jiraiya had used to describe how he felt that day. After a few days they were changed to anger, sadness and betrayal. Finally, when he was released they were guilt, determination and desire. It took Jiraiya about three weeks in total to move on from the loss, around one week for him to start returning to his normal self. Naruto seemed to still be stuck in the "Failure" stage. She idly wondered how long it'd take for him to move on and start bringing sunshine to their lives again.

Sighing, she glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. It was late, the sun already setting. She walked over to the bed and placed her hands onto Naruto's shoulders. She gently pushed him to lay down before pulling the sheets over him. She then ran her fingers through his bangs and placed a kiss on his forehead before wishing him goodnight. She walked back to the door and switched off the light. Pausing in the doorway, she looked back to him again only to find that he was asleep. A small smile crept to Tsunade's lips; he didn't look so broken now. Shaking her head, she turned back around and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind her.

"Get better soon gaki… it's quiet without you."

* * *

Time had stopped, life had stopped, the world had stopped, everything was frozen. He was trapped in nothingness. The last thing he remembered was being slammed headfirst into a rock by his former best friend. From there the world turned red, every sensation occurring to him as if through a thick blanket. Then there was a bright flash of light and finally, nothing. He felt nothing, smelled nothing, tasted nothing, saw nothing, and heard nothing. Well, to say he heard nothing would be wrong. He heard a voice, muffled at first, but it had been growing louder since. It was the voice of a woman. Soft, gentle and sultry, it seemed to wrap around him like fine silk. He felt the voice tug at him, as if beckoning him, to where he didn't know. The voice stirred things in his mind that were deeply buried. Memories he had long forgotten or stored so deep that he'd never find them. Voices that reminded him of pain and agony of the likes of which had not felt since he was a very small child. Visions of a chamber that brought him nothing but pain. That place, he never wanted to go back to that place. Never wanted to be subjected to that pain again. He resisted, tried to force the memories back to where they belonged but that voice stopped him. Without speaking a single word, that voice coaxed him to actually look at the memories, that it was safe. They were only memories, they couldn't hurt him anymore.

Watching, remembering, the pain seemed just as real as it did then. If he had had eyes, he knew he would be crying. He had been so small, so weak. The definition of defenseless. They had done so many things to him; they were burned into his infantile mind. Hatred bubbled inside him, how dare they do that to him! What gave them the right to do that to a child? Thankfully he had been saved. He had been lucky, he knew other children hadn't. He was the only one the Sandaime had brought out of there alive, all thanks to the fox sealed within his belly. He owed his Ojii-san everything, he had saved his life, but it was not without some repercussions. Naruto had never let anyone know, but every couple years or so, something on him would decay and fall off, only to be replaced by regeneration. Not only that, but he had sores covering his body, all of them constantly in a process of decay and regeneration. It was so painful; it felt as if he was rotting from the inside out. Instinctively he knew that something was missing, there had to be a way to stop it. The voice sounded again, louder still. The louder it became, the more familiar it was, like he had heard it before.

Thinking back, Naruto remembered the voice of a woman, hearing her back when he was young… in that lab. Her voice was the only comfort he had. That was it! The voice he was hearing was hers! But how… how was she in the nothingness with him, why could he not see her? Visions of the lab came to him again, the room appearing in its entirety. Before him stood the chamber he remembered, the one that meant pain. He then felt himself being pulled behind it, to where the computer systems that controlled it were located. Among the machines stood a similar chamber, only this one was covered unlike his which was transparent. A small viewing window was the only way to view its contents, and a plaque under that bore a name. He had never heard this name before, wasn't even sure how to pronounce it, but something told him it belonged to that voice.

Again she sang to him, bringing forth memories of his physical decay to the surface and his wish for it to end. The chamber, her chamber, the pain, all these things flashed in his mind. She could make it stop, she could fix him. He'd finally be free of that pain, but it meant returning to that nightmare-ish place! He was torn… his fears clashing with his needs. She called again, his desire to be stronger bubbling up. She could make him stronger… but that was unfair. He would earn his strength, he wouldn't be like Sasuke. She changed her tune, tugging on the memory of his promise to Sakura. To bring Sasuke home, he needed to be stronger to bring him home. More visions and feelings burst forth, one figuratively smacking him in the face. Incomplete… he had always felt as if something was missing. Like he was only half a person… this strength she promised would complete him? A tender song like caress across his mind was all the answer he needed. It wasn't cheating if it was meant to be his in the first place… it was his right to have it. With another caress and a tug, his vision began to clear, her voice chasing the darkness away. A gentle tug pulled him to face where the lab resided, but he moved no further. Fear chained him to his hospital bed, but they soon melted away.

He climbed out the window and down the side of the hospital building. Once he reached the ground he took off as if being pulled on a string. Naruto followed the sensation until he reached the entrance to Konoha's underground. Once it was pried open, he resumed following the string, the voice in his head growing stronger moment by moment. Soon he reached the lab, it was boarded off and abandoned. Once he was inside, everything burst to life, the machines around the lab turning on as if by remote command. Continuing on, he found himself in front of the covered chamber. He tried to look inside but the window was too high up. Looking at the plaque again, he sighed.

"Now what? I'm here!"

Her voice was so loud, it blocked out all other noise. He felt himself being pulled towards the clear chamber, the one he hated. He felt his hand hitting buttons and throwing switches without his command before he approached the now open door and stepped inside. Like a puppet on a string he had danced to her song. Finally understanding that this was the only way she could complete him, Naruto resigned and tried to block his terror. She promised no pain, he would sleep. He liked sleep; he was left alone when he slept. As the door to the chamber closed, he felt himself being wrapped in a tender embrace, her song soft and slow, like a mother trying to woo her child to sleep. It was an unfamiliar but welcome sensation. He closed his eyes knowing that when he opened them again, everything would be better. That he'll finally be able to earn the acknowledgment he craved.


	2. The Lost

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix respectively.**

**A/N: I just want to let everyone know that the next semester of classes are starting up soon, so that will lengthen the time between updates, but don't worry. I have several chapters already writen so don't panic. Also, I'm sure this chapter will raise more questions than answers, and that's fine. Put you're questions in a review and I shall answer them in an authors note in the next chapter. Enjoy.**

The Lost

A crash sounded from within the Hokage's office, caused by a sake bottle meeting a violent end against the wall. Tsunade stared at the shattered remnants of the bottle with sullen eyes. He was gone… Naruto had vanished over night. She remembered the morning of his disappearance; she had been awoken by a frantic Shizune. At first she had disregarded whatever Shizune was trying to say, until she heard that Naruto was gone. She had bolted straight to the hospital and was met with an empty bed and Jiraiya's concerned gaze. Her initial fear was that he had been kidnapped, perhaps by the Akatsuki, but that was quickly dismissed when Jiraiya informed her that there was no forced entry. It seemed as if Naruto just got up and left. Over the course of the following week, the learned that where ever Naruto had run off to, it was within the village. He was still in Konoha, but the problem was that they couldn't pinpoint where. Jiraiya and a group of ANBU had been searching for the past few months, and have come up empty handed. It worried Tsunade greatly that they couldn't find him. She couldn't label him a missing Nin since he never left but that wouldn't stop the council from taking advantage of the situation and making him one irregardless. Faced with this problem, Jiraiya had proposed that they lie and say that Naruto was with him outside the village. That he had taken the genin with him to train him. She had been a bit hesitant to go along with it, but she saw no other choice. With that problem avoided, she turned her attention to locating him. Easier said than done, it was almost as if Naruto had ceased to exist. There wasn't a single trace of him anywhere in the village, but they knew he never left the city walls. The conundrum brought back Tsunades headache.

As she reached into the bottom drawer for a new bottle of sake, she realized there was still hope. Naruto had not left the village, it would take time but eventually he would resurface. It wasn't like he'd run off like Sasuke and Orochimaru had. Where ever he was in the village, he would eventually have to come out from hiding. Still, that could take years, and there was only so much time he could spend "training" with Jiraiya before the council got suspicious. When she had discussed this concern with the toad hermit, he simply shrugged and said they'd tackle that bridge if they came to it. If only she could be so nonchalant about it. Taking a swig straight from the bottle, Tsunade pondered if Naruto's behavior beforehand had something to do with his vanishing. The suspicion had been with her since it was revealed that he was in the village. Looking over the documents on her desk, Tsunade dug for Naruto's medical folder. She had pulled it out shortly before he vanished, but only recently had found the time needed to study it. What she found worried her. Not only where the records spotty and filled with biased reports, but there were no records of his development and health for the first three years of his life. It was as if Naruto had just materialized when he was almost four years old and even then the oldest report on him was strange.

It was taken when he was three and a half years old, the earliest she could find. She could tell that the doctor overseeing the checkup must have been hand chosen by Sensei for their lack of bias. According to the report, Naruto had been underweight and extremely pale. He had many scars that suggested multiple needle pricks, either for injection of blood taking, as well as a few intravenous lines that had been in his throat. There was also evidence that he had had a breathing tube in his throat for many, many months. His vocal chords suffering damage from it. He also seemed to have bruising spotted on his body, but the cause of it was unknown. There had been blood samples taken that showed abnormal cells, but they were overlooked as being a side effect of his treatment and the Kyuubi. It made no sense, none of it did. It worried Tsunade greatly but it also lead her to believe that perhaps something had been done to him during those missing years, something that perhaps had driven him to run away and hide. Sighing, Tsunade closed the file; she was in no mood to ponder it this night. Taking another drink of sake, she laid her head on her desk and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

The morning air was crisp and fresh as she walked home from her shift at the hospital. Sakura savored it, knowing that peace such as this was not meant to last. She knew this all too well if the events of the past five years were anything to go by. First her crush Sasuke abandons the village, and then Naruto runs off to train with Jiraiya. Three years after that the Kazekage, Gaara, was captured by the Akatsuki as was the two tailed and eight tailed hosts from the cloud village. Then they learn that Sasuke had killed Orochimaru and went off on his own. Shortly after that Itachi is found near death after his battle with Sasuke and was brought back to Konoha only to be pardoned on the pretense that what he had done had been under the Sandaimes order. After that things had gone very quiet. Sakura wondered if the Akatsuki knew Naruto wasn't in Konoha since they hadn't been spotted anywhere near the village in a couple years. From what she had learned from Itachi, they probably did. Of all the things that had happened in the past five years, her relationship with Itachi had to be the strangest.

She remembered it had started as a professional one shortly after he had been pardoned. Tsunade had placed her in charge of his treatment stating she trusted Sakura would not let personal bias conflict with her job. She had been right, Sakura had not let any personal feelings get in the way of treating her patient. At first their encounters were silent aside from the occasional question of his well being. She soon learned that he was completely blind, it had taken her by surprise seeing as he functioned fairly well considering his injuries. The only time he requested help was when she brought him his medication for his tuberculosis. He would ask her to hand him his water, since apparently he had grown tired of accidentally knocking it over onto himself. She was impressed by his perseverance, there was very little he couldn't do by himself despite his blindness. She supposed that was what had opened the gates for a personal relationship. She found Itachi intriguing, not just because of his prowess as a ninja or his adaptability, but him as a person. He was nothing like she had imagined, he was soft spoken and very gentle. He would often manage to bring a smile out of her when she would visit him. Not only that but he was easy to talk to, once you got past his cold façade. Sakura soon found herself looking forward to seeing him during her shifts, and even began to visit on her off time too. She supposed it was no surprise to anyone that when he was released, he stayed at her apartment. At first it had been a joke to offer him a bed in her home, but it turned serious when he mentioned that he feared returning to the Uchiha compound, the ghosts there would keep him up at night he said. It tore at her heart to imagine living in the same house you had to kill your family in. It hurt even more to realize just how ostracized Itachi was. When he had been released, she had taken him shopping to get him things for the apartment. She remembered he told her that he could feel the glares of the populous, that he supposed that was how Naruto must have felt when he walked down the street. By that time, Sakura had learned of Naruto's burden and silently agreed with Itachi. Things had gotten much better since then she supposed, she would even dare to think things were great. It was unofficial, but it felt as though she and Itachi had entered a relationship when she turned 18 a few months ago. She just felt as if something between them had changed, but she didn't mind it at all. Even if nothing had changed, she was glad to have someone to come home to.

Upon entering the apartment she shared with Itachi, she found him in the kitchen attempting to cook. It brought a smile to her face to see how well he'd adapted to his lack of sight; he even greeted her when she closed the door. After she set her bag down and taken off her shoes, she walked over and gave him a gentle hug. He was still wary of physical contact but she felt he deserved it. Once she released him, she went about helping him. While he cooked, she set the table, got the drinks and once the eggs and toast were done she walked them over to the table. They ate in a comfortable silence with the only conversation being Itachi asking how her shift went. When they were done, Sakura collected the dishes and began washing them while Itachi continued with his morning rituals before he started with the weekly chores. The rest of the day passed with tangible normalcy until she left to train with Kakashi. Ever since her promotion to chunin, she had made it a semi-common habit to find time to train with her former sensei. Occasionally Itachi would accompany her, but today he had declined.

Thinking on it, it saddened Sakura that Kakashi was all that was left of her old team, not that Kakashi was a bad person it was just… so lonely. She knew Sasuke's absence couldn't be helped, not that she really missed him anymore. After hearing the true story from Itachi, she came to realize just how narrow minded Sasuke was. While a part of her would always care for him on some level, she found herself missing him less and less each day. That being said, she wondered what Naruto would say to that when he came back from his training with Jiraiya. She knew Naruto would be the most open minded guy around, but she wondered if he'd listen like she had. She wondered if he'd realize just how hopeless it was to try to bring Sasuke home. She also wondered how strong Naruto would be upon his return, after all, he's spent the past five years training with the toad sannin… that has to amount to something right? Chuckling to herself, she wondered if he'd grown mentally too or if he was the same as he always had been. She hoped he'd matured some, but not lost those qualities of his that made her smile. No matter what though, Sakura hoped that Naruto would come home soon.


	3. The Son

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix respectively.**

**AN: My apologies about the long wait, as I said in the previous chapter classes have started. Not only that, but the plot for this story has undergone some minor changes, forcing me to edit the chapters I already have written. Again, this change is minor but I feel it is for the best. To answer a few things, yes I kept Itachi alive. It was more out of pity for his character than anything else, I hated that he died in the manga after he'd given everything he had for Konoha. Also, there has been a time skip, it occurred in the previous chapter. The jump was five years, not three like in the manga. So now Naruto, along with most of his friends, are 18, with everyone else aging appropriatelyas well. Now onto this chapter, I'll warn you before hand... this is all from Jenova. Enjoy.**

The Son

Time was a very lax term that held no real meaning to her. She was timeless, ageless, endless. But even she felt its weight under certain circumstances. Endless darkness tended to make time creep along, so slow that it felt as if the universe had ceased to exist. The thought angered her, that she had been reduced to such a weak state. It had taken countless ages for her to fully regenerate what she had lost, and even then she was still frozen. The crystallized mako covering the Cetra had placed on her still holding strong, even now. She roared behind frozen lips, how dare they do this to her! How dare they! The planet would fall to ruin once she found a way out of her eternal prison, she swore it. She had long since given up clawing at her cage; all it did was waste her energy. Instead, she lay hidden, seething in her anger for an unknown amount of time… until that man had found her many millennia ago.

Existence within the mako tank had been infinitely better than being buried where the Cetra had left her, the experiments aside. If anything, it had offered her more freedom than she had known since she had crashed on this miserable planet. It had also offered her a chance to learn of her enemy, only to find she had wiped them out. Such a shame she had not gotten to witness their suffering, however this was to her advantage. There had been almost nothing stopping her from destroying all life on the planet. If only she could have broken free from her frozen body. She didn't have to wait long, not when that man had started experimenting with her cells. It hadn't hard to convince him to create her an avatar, a child she could puppeteer to do her will. Again, though, she was blindsided by the planet. Her son, her perfect son Sephiroth, had been destroyed not once but three times by the planets chosen defender. Her perfect son was now stranded in the life stream, unable to be absorbed but unable to break free. Her son, her beautifully perfect son, was broken and stolen by the planet. She could no longer sense him, so lost he was.

She mourned her son and her defeat while the planet swallowed her again, trapping her in darkness again. She remained there, replaying her defeat over and over again, trying to understand what went wrong. This time around, her time in darkness passed without notice, until once again she was unearthed by man. She noticed the differences in the people immediately. It appeared that her defeat had not been so one sided after all. The people who unearthed her were born with mako in their blood. She looked into their memories, finding that their entire civilization was based on that fact. It seems the planet had taken precautions against her; mako now flowed through the people as well as the planet. How cleaver…

Again, it was easy to manipulate those experimenting on her to begin placing her cells into others, to convince them to make her children. However, it seemed that the planet had planned for that too. All the children that her cells were placed into soon developed geostigma, though that isn't what the scientists called it. She recognized it, she had used it before, but now it was out of her control. One by one, her new children died leaving her without any means to fight. It began to seem hopeless; the planet had planned a means to stop her at every turn until that boy was brought in. She recalled not thinking much of him at the time, the small infant sanctioned to die like all the others. That is until his geostigma faded. She focused all her attention on this child; she was determined to not lose her only chance at a new son. After her cells began to integrate into his growing body, she discovered why he had survived. It seems the new people of this planet did not understand what their "biju" were created for, seeing as her new son carried one within him. She found it ironic that a creature created to destroy her was keeping her new son alive, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She had been ready to silence the beast for good when her son was taken from her.

During his time away from her, the beast within him managed to block her from his mind. She promised to return it tenfold once she had him back. It took many years, but eventually she was able to speak to him. After all, the fox couldn't guard his body and his mind at the same time. It was surprisingly easy to speak to him, the fox having been unable to stop her cells from multiplying granted her access to his mind in ways she never had with Sephiroth. But she knew regardless of how it easy it seemed, she would have to tread carefully. She was gentle with him, fully aware of his fragile state of mind. She caressed him, whispered to him, spoke to him of all the things he desired. It didn't take long for him to submit to her will and return to her. He had grown in their time apart, but it was stunted. That would soon be fixed. Once she had him within the tank, completing his growth, she took the time to really explore his mind. She had learned from her time with Sephiroth that she needed to understand her childs mind completely, in order to guide them accordingly. What she found made her seethe with disgust.

The people of the planet deemed it alright to abuse, even attempt to murder her son. She was almost tempted to thank the beast within him for saving his life, but she would never lower herself to that level. Her poor son had suffered so cruelly at the hands of these humans, and yet he wanted to protect them, defend them, even gain acknowledgement from them. This confused her, why would her son want to protect those who hurt him? After searching through his memories, an answer began to form. They had called him a monster and he wished to prove them wrong. She agreed with this, he was no monster; any son of hers was a god just like her. She began to plant seeds in his mind, ideas that would fester and grow, changing his opinion on the people he was so determined to protect. He would soon see how fruitless it was, just as she did, and would be more inclined to listen to her in regards to their destruction. As time passed, he grew and matured under her care, into a son she could be proud of. Soon, he was complete and ready to take revenge on the planet for her, but she knew his desires came first despite how long she tried to convince him otherwise. She soon learned his desires were miniscule in comparison to hers, and would cement the thoughts of how fruitless it was to try to protect and please the insects he valued so.

Though she could not see him with her own crystallized eyes, she could view him through the cameras within the laboratory. He was perfect, a perfect son for a perfect mother. So much like her beloved Sephiroth, but also so different. He may not be her Sephiroth, but he was a perfect son none the less, and soon perhaps he would surpass Sephiroth and become her heir. Telepathically she ran her fingers through his hair as he finished dressing and prepared to leave, the action bringing a small smile to his now whiskerless face. All traces that he carried the giant fox vanished after she had encased its cage in crystal, promising her son that the monster would never hurt him again. He looked towards her container with his feline like eyes, his smile widening before thanking her and leaving. Her new son was so strange, only addressing her by her name and not as his mother. She did not push it; she would be his mother eventually. It seemed he would take more convincing than Sephiroth had, but that was fine with her. Her new son would be a challenge as well as a victory, she knew it. The planet was quaking at the emergence of her new son, Jenova could just feel it.

Her freedom, her victory, her revenge were all at the fingertips of her new son, her perfect young Naruto.


	4. The Reborn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix respectively.**

**AN: Amazing right? Another update so closely after the previous one... I'm shocked too. This chapter is self explanatory I think, shouldn't need too much commentary from me. I will warn you though, from this point out things will move fast. I will also warn you that I'm not very skilled at writing fight sequences, so when they do occur just bear with me, ok? Enjoy!**

The Reborn

All he could remember were dreams, they were various, each one a creature all its own. Some he knew were memories; she had been sifting through them to try to understand him. He didn't mind the blatant invasion of his mind; it's not as if he could just tell her what she wanted to know. Besides, he felt he could trust her, this being that called herself "mother". She was being so kind to him, much like how he always hoped his own mother would have been like had she been alive. She had done so much for him, the least he could do was let her view his memories. The loss of his mental privacy was a small price to pay for all she had gifted to him, such as the completeness of his body and the blocking off of the monster within him. That had been an interesting sight, watching as she encased the demon fox in green crystal. He remembered watching as she shattered the pipes that siphoned the fox's chakra through his body, and rerouted them to the fragment of her within his mind. She had explained that it was through this fragment that she was able to speak to him, that it represented the cells of hers within his body. Ever since then, his inner mind had been a cavern of green crystals, with her avatar at its center. His other dreams were frightening. They would start as memories before evolving into visions of destruction, slaughter, and revenge. During each one, he could hear her voice, posing questions to him, stating her thoughts or facts. These dreams made him question all that he loved, believed in, and fought for. His mind soon began to cloud with doubt that she promised would clear once he rejoined the outside world.

This exchange wasn't one-sided however, he learned quite a bit about her as well. What he learned astounded him. Her name was Jenova and she came to the planet many thousands of years ago. She had been found by the people of the planet at the time and was eventually given her first son, one she always compared him to. Sephiroth… it was a strange name, and hard for him to pronounce but that didn't matter, what did was that he felt as if he was in this man's shadow. Jenova had shown him images of her beloved first son, shown him all he had done, and how in the end it was all in vain. He could feel that Jenova still mourned the loss, he felt strongly for her. He had mourned for a long time when his Jii-Jii died fighting that snake bastard. She had then told him that her pain was fruitless, that he was her son now. He had mixed feelings about that, while he had always wanted parents, he wasn't sure he could accept Jenova's love. Despite this, he promised to not let her down; he had to repay her for all her kindness. He never went back on his word, not matter what.

The first thing his mind registered was the cold air against his damp skin, followed by the sound of liquid draining and machines functioning in the background. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and the world slowly came into focus. Instantly he noticed that his senses were sharper, far sharper than they had ever been before. He knew the fox had given him enhanced senses of smell and hearing but this… this was insane. He was thankful he had already adapted to the change, otherwise he was sure he would have been crippled by the onslaught. Stepping out of the tank, he could easily hear what he assumed where people on the surface going about their daily lives. All his senses had this level of strength, though he would have to wait to test them. After popping his stiff joints, he began a series of stretches to help with his stiffness. As he went through them, he was amazed by how easily he performed them despite not having moved in quite some time. He could already tell it had been over a year since he was last awake, a fact proven by the apparent shrinking of the furniture. AS he explored the laboratory, he felt a tug towards some tall cabinets. Upon opening them, he found some standard shinobi clothes. It was only then did he notice that he was as bare as the day he was born. Sending a silent "thank you" to Jenova, he pulled the clothes out and got dressed. He decided to make some modifications to the outfit by tearing off the sleeves, making it much more comfortable. The fight he had with his now shaggy hair when he put on his shirt forced him to search for something to tie it back with. Finding nothing, he simply tore a strip from the amputated sleeves and tied his hair back. That done, he began to sift through the other cabinets in the large room, looking for anything else he may need for his return to the surface. Not finding much, he decided he'd raid a few shops on his way out of Konoha.

While he had been walking around, he noticed very quickly that his movements were silent. He put not effort towards that, so he assumed it came naturally now. He also noticed he processed things faster; he wasn't slow on the uptake anymore. These things made him wonder just what else had changed. He already has some idea of what he was capable of now given the training he endured in his mind. He understood to some degree that he had grown past needing hand signs, that with Jenova's cells in him he could force his chakra directly. He also healed faster than he ever had before, that is if he would ever get hurt he would. Jenova explained that along with his natural grace, his physical speed had also increased. It would be harder to hit him now, but he was a bit unsure. He'd place more confidence in it once he had a chance to test it out in a spar. All things considered, regardless of his doubts, it seemed that now he had the potential to be a far better shinobi than the Yondaime. That thought brought a smirk to his face.

As he finished checking himself over, assuring that he was ready to rejoin life in on the surface, he felt invisible fingers brush through his hair. Smiling, he turned towards the covered tank that housed Jenova. He could hear her voice in his mind, speaking to him in a charming tone that brought him great assurance. He spoke his thanks in his mind, feeling her reciprocate it, before turning towards the door of the lab and exiting. He sent her a silent promise to return, knowing that it was unbearable to be alone. Quickly and silently, he made his way to the surface, avoiding detection by any shinobi who may have been wandering in that part of the underground. Upon surfacing, he made himself scarce, not knowing if he was still recognizable. Despite it being the dead of night, he clung to the shadows and raided a few shops to replenish his non-existent supplies. Once he was certain he had everything that he would need, he quickly vacated the village via the underground. Upon touching the earth outside the village walls, he felt it quake beneath him. A small smirk formed on his face in response to Jenova's unwavering joy at the reaction of the planet. Soon he was heading south, towards Kiri, where he could acquire a weapon of high quality. He wasn't sure what kind he wanted, something just told him he needed one, that he'd never be able to fulfill his promise without one. Never did he think that it was Jenova pointing him in that direction.


	5. The Discovery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix respectively.  
AN: Greetings all, I apologize for the late update. As I have said before, college is overrunning my life at the moment. All my attention is focused on original pieces for my Creative Writing class, but I've been trying to work onthis on the side. I'm posting this chapter so no one loses intrest, I know I haven't. I'm still working on it, but progress will be slow. Now in this chapter, things start getting intresting. I won't give much away but I think you all will like it. Enjoy!**

The Discovery

Konoha was awoken in the early morning hours by an earthquake. It wasn't a massive one but violent enough to jostle the village from its sleep. It ended as quickly and abruptly as it started, leaving the villagers puzzled; Konoha wasn't on a fault line so earthquakes were unheard of. Finding this disconcerting, Tsunade ordered several teams of shinobi to scour the surrounding forests in search for enemy infiltrators. Within half an hour of the quake she also had the council gathered, every one of its members in a state of shock. They sat in stunned silence while they awaited reports from the deployed men. Tsunade entered shortly after, said reports in hand, and took her seat at the head of the council. Glancing over, she found something odd. The clan heads all appeared very pale; more so than the civilian side. Also their eyes seem glazed with sickness, something that Tsunade made point to question during the meeting. After assessing that everyone was present, she started by informing everyone that the shinobi she deployed had found no traces of any enemy, or any jutsu that could have caused the quake. She watched in morbid humor as both questions an accusations began flying from the civilian council. It never ceased to amaze her how quick they were to draw conclusions. Soon though, she noticed that the clan heads were silent. Finding this very strange, Tsunade decided to address her earlier concerns about them. With a scowl marring her face, she addressed them as a whole.

"What is wrong with all of you?"

Silence was her answer till an otherwise sleeping Nara Shikaku decided to speak up.

"I can only speak for myself but that earthquake left me feeling nauseous with a pounding headache…" He glanced over to his friends Inoichi and Choza to find them nodding their heads in agreement. Soon the other clan heads joined in agreement, they all felt the exact same.

"I woke up feeling like I was being electrocuted." Tsume inputted while she massaged her temples.

"It feels as though there is something ominous behind this." Hiashi added, trying to keep his composure.

"Agreed, whatever has caused all of this has my insects acting strange." Shiba stated in support of Hiashi.

"Impossible, it has already been determined that this was a natural phenomena." countered Koharu smugly. "Whatever you all are experiencing is merely coincidental."

"Just because nothing was found, doesn't make this natural. Konoha doesn't rest on a fault line; we don't get quakes like this." Inoichi rebutted. "And it can't be coincidental that every clan head here is experiencing the same ailments. It's either intentional or a reaction to this phenomena. Considering that there have been no traces of enemy shinobi, I doubt it's intentional."

"Agreed, I want all of you to interview the members of your families. Find out if anyone else is affected by whatever this is. I also want all of you to visit the hospital and have Shizune check you over, see if this is perhaps the result of a virus." Tsunade voiced before the impending argument could break out. "We need to eliminate as many possibilities as possible to determine what the cause is. In the mean time, we'll continue to send shinobi out to investigate the surrounding forests. Perhaps they fill find something missed by the first scouts." With that said, the meeting was called to an end.

Early afternoon found Tsunade exhausted, frustrated, and begging for some sake. Unfortunately, Shizune had stolen all of her stashes, leaving her dry. She rubbed her temples as she tried to focus on the documents before her. She had reports from every shift of the patrol, and each one said the same thing. There was no trace of anything that could have caused the quake that morning. Nothing at all… She sighed, it seemed they'd have to deem it a natural phenomenon after all, that is until she presents the medical assessments she'd taken from every clan member in the village. It seemed everyone within the clans had suffered the same symptoms that their leaders had. After reviewing all the tests that Shizune had run on those who volunteered, she found that there was nothing causing these symptoms. At least nothing she could explain. She was starting to lean towards the two events being linked somehow, but she wasn't confident enough to present that theory yet. She needed more concrete evidence, and she needed it fast. Who knows if whatever caused the first quake would happen again. Yeah, she could really use some sake.

Tsunade raised her eyes to meet the figure that just appeared in her office. He was a young man, white skin with black hair and a kitsune smile on his face. Taking a moment to force her agitation back, she addressed him. "You have something to report Sai?"

Rising to stand before her, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a folder. "Yes milady, I have something I believe you must read."

Tsunade took the folder from him, appraising it silently before opening it and viewing its contents. After a moment, her eyes widened in shock. "Can we trust this information?" she asked hesitantly.

"We can, I pulled it from the ROOT archives myself. Danzo has recently promoted me, allowing me access to those files." Sai paused a moment. "I felt the information was vital enough to warrant such an abrupt meeting milady. I can assure you I was not followed, I have been sent on a mission by Danzo to infiltrate the shinobi ranks, as you are probably already aware of. I felt appearing here now would not seem so… suspicious."

Tsunade listened intently as she skimmed over the contents of the folder. "You were right to get this to me as quickly as possible, and yes I was made aware of his efforts yesterday. I'll be placing you with Shizune to start, work on your 'people skills'." Tsunade paused as she glanced over photographs of something that seemed most inhuman. "Does this location still exist or has Danzo had it destroyed?"

"It remains intact as far as I know. Danzo felt the research could be restarted once he was in control of Konoha. Though, there has been some activity in the laboratory. I've heard whispers that it's been active for five years now, but it appears no one knows who's working there. Even Danzo is suspicious, though he has not sent anyone to investigate. I believe he feels it's safer to stay clear of it until he's sure he won't lose such a valuable asset."

"Very well, I want you to attempt to find its exact location, as soon as possible. I'm not sure what this is, but I don't like that it's been under Konoha this long. Once you have it, report it to me during a shift with Shizune, you start tomorrow at 9 am." Tsunade closed the folder and stared Sai in the eye, her word was final.

"Of course milady." With that, Sai vanished as abruptly as he appeared.

Breathing a deep sigh, Tsunade returned her attention to the folder before her. It was thick, and she had barely scratched the surface of its contents. She'd have to call in some help to get through it all by the next morning, in time for Sais report. Rubbing her eyes, she called for Shizune, who she then ordered to retrieve Jiraiya. The Toad Hermit had been in and out of Konoha frequently in the last five years, secretly of course. Now she was grateful he was actually in the village, with both of them tackling the folder, she'd know its contents in no time. After a few moments of waiting, Jiraiya arrived; she then immediately debriefed him on what Sai had told her and explained her request. Once he nodded in agreement, she pulled out half the documents, placed them in a new folder and handed them over with the order to return to the tower in the evening to review the contents together.

Shortly past sunset, just as ordered, Jiraiya returned. His face was drawn in to a grim expression; she assumed it was a reaction to whatever was on the files he read. Since she had not had a chance to read over her half due to her busy schedule, she could only speculate based on what she had found when she skimmed earlier. Taking a seat, Jiraiya passed her his half of the folder, before resting his elbows on his knees, his hands wringing together between them. It was then she knew; whatever he read had disturbed him. That was a frightening thought. Taking a quick drink of sake to prepare herself, she asked for a summary of what he had read. What he told her had her worried. Whatever this creature was, it had been there since before Konoha was founded. It had been unearthed during the villages' construction and locked away until Danzo saw fit to investigate it. While she could agree with trying to understand what it was, she had a feeling there were things missing from the file. She was positive that it wasn't Sais doing, but Danzos, as a means to keep unwanted things from surfacing. Once he was done, she pulled out her half and looked it over. It seemed she had mostly photographs and the results from various tests. Selecting one photo, she handed it over to Jiraiya to get his take on it. His reaction surprised her; he was visibly chilled by the sight of this thing. When she asked 'why' he responded with, "This thing may have a female form, but I know it's not human. Whatever it is, I don't know, I just know I don't like it."

Looking down at the photo of a blue skinned woman with silver hair and pink eyes, floating in a tank of green water, she couldn't help but agree.

* * *

They had gathered, just as instructed, and now awaited the arrival of the mastermind behind this cacophony of madness. Eyes glowed in the darkness, each gazing into the impenetrable, looking for any sign that things would get moving. Eventually, the final participant arrived, a single glowing eye signally its owners arrival. After several moments, a soft, low voice spoke.

"The planet trembled in the early morning, as I'm sure you all felt." Scattered acknowledgements were heard before the voice continued. "We are awaiting confirmation, however, we must prepare for the worst. The planet only trembles for one thing, and one thing alone."

"The Calamity and its son." a voice hardened by age and experience pierced through the congregation. "This can only mean that a new son has been chosen. Thanks to the information we have gathered, we know who this new son must be." Scattered mumblings erupted from the audience, but were quickly silenced. "If it is indeed who we think it is, then our efforts have been in vain. The weapon will not work with one piece missing."

"Then what will we do? We can't just sit back and let them win!" a rough voice with piercing yellow eyes shouted.

"We will not just wait for the end, but there is little we can do against The Calamity and its son on our own. That is why it has been decided we shall seek out allies. We shall go to the village where it rests and educate its leader. It is unlikely, but we may gain access to the monster itself, and perhaps eliminate it before the son returns." paused the first voice that spoke. "Then and only then do we stand any real chance against the son."

"We have no room for failure… if we fail, then the planet is doomed." the second voice added, its message a warning most grave.

There was no room for failure, not against Jenova.


	6. The Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII, they belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Square Enix respectively.**

**A/N: Hello all, I'm back for now atleast. I've had this chapter finished for some time, but I didn't feel comfortable posting it until I had a few chapters after it in production, otherwise I may lose interest. Anyway, here it is, it's short, but my chapters tend to be that way. Also, at the end of it, please bear in mine that dialouge is not my strong point. . Also I have to give a big thank you to Tristan76 for his awesome reviews, they really got my adrenaline pumping for this story again. Thank you!**

The Truth

The weather outside Kiri was rather dreary, with heavy clouds hanging in the sky. The wind, chilled by the ocean, gusted like a dragon's breath. Unsuspecting travelers would be caught and transformed into drowned rats without a moments notice. This was not the case for Naruto, however. He remained in pristine condition, despite the weathers attempts to break him. He sat in his makeshift camp, admiring his newly acquired blades. Now Naruto had never been that interested in swords before, but even he could admire them with a crucial eye. In his hands he held a pair of twin cutlass, each equally as beautiful. The blades glistened silver in the opaque light, while his hands gripped the leather and silk hilts with a familiar ease. It was almost as if they were made for him. He chuckled at that thought, it was possible; the smith who sold them to him seemed to have been waiting for him. He found it strange but decided not to ponder on it, what mattered was that they were his and he hoped to put them to good use. Sheathing them carefully, he placed them against the tree to his side. Standing and stretching, he catalogued that the twin blades were not the only improvement to his person.

On his way to Kiri, Naruto had managed to acquire some new clothes. He now wore a black high collar vest, black shinobi pants that were taped at his ankles, better fitting shoes and a jacket. His new jacket had been a prize find; it had been just laying about a camp of rogue ninja's that had attacked him. After he had dispensed of them, he quickly raided their camp for supplies when the jacket caught his eye. It was silk, dark blue in color with white fox embroidered on the back. Upon unfolding it, he found it was styled much like the jacket worn by his hero, the Yondaime. Unable to resist, he tried it on and he had yet to take it off. He had also managed to cut his hair. Now instead of being long and messy, it was short and shaggy. Since he had lost his headband he'd had to deal with his bangs hanging in his eyes, but that was something he quickly got used to.

Having popped his shoulders and relieved a few knots, Naruto walked over to his small pack to dig out some food. As he dug, he came across his other find, a black sphere. He had spotted it in a market outside Kiri that he was passing through. At first he had dismissed it, but then Jenova's voice rang through his mind, calling forth images of a similar sphere from her past. Quickly he deduced that perhaps it belonged to her. Thinking on it, he decided to check it out and if the price was right, he'd get it back for her. He found that the vender was desperate to sell the thing; apparently it had brought him nothing but bad luck. Because of this, he managed to get it for next to nothing. Looking at the thing, it didn't seem that important, but that thought changed when he picked it up. When his skin came in contact with it, he felt tingles go up and down his spine, as if electricity was traveling through him. That got him thinking that perhaps this thing was more than just a crystal ball.

Finding his stolen provisions, he set about eating. Next he would head north and find Sasuke. He'd heard whispers that he'd been spotted near Iwa but Naruto didn't trust speculation. He would head that way regardless though, and perhaps if he was lucky he'd catch Sasuke's trail. Despite what one would think, he was not looking forward to this reunion. Over the past five years he'd come to accept that there was no saving Sasuke, but he still had a promise to keep and he never promised to save Sasuke, just to bring him home. That is what he planned to do. He had no delusions that the Uchiha would make it easy, so he had already decided that he would use any means necessary, even if it meant dragging the avenger home with every bone in his body broken. Sighing, Naruto wondered if he had been complete at the time, would he have been able to stop Sasuke from leaving. He was unsure of the answer himself, but he felt Jenova's opinion very clearly. She felt that yes he would have very easily. That now that he was complete, there was no shinobi alive who could match him. He wasn't sure about that, but the vote of confidence helped none the less.

After finishing his meal, he packed his few things and began his trek north, running at a speed that would have put the Yellow Flash to shame. He was going to find Sasuke and bring him home, no matter what.

* * *

Tsunade sat in silence at her desk, staring at the documents laid out before her. Jiraiya stood off to the side, his expression somber. They were unsure how to proceed with what Danzo had labeled as "Specimen C". They had reviewed all the notes that were contained in the original folder given to her by Sai and they were left speechless. It was disturbing just how detailed they were, just how much Danzo knew of this creature. Jiraiya had theorized that he may have hoped to use it to overthrow the Sandaime, and Tsunade had been a hairs breath from agreeing with him but something felt off about all of it. For all the knowledge he'd had on Specimen C, Danzo never did anything with it from their standpoint. That left her with a bad taste in her mouth and the feeling they were missing something. There was no feasible way that Danzo would just study this thing and leave it at that. It just wasn't his style, but they had no proof otherwise. Despite how thoroughly Sai searched the ROOT archives, he had found nothing else pertaining to the specimen. On top of all that, the clansmen of the village were still acting strange. While the ailments weren't as severe as they were in the beginning, they had yet to dissipate. She could find no cause for this, or any explanation as to why only the clans were affected. This was all starting to really get on her nerves and she had already downed all of her sake.

"There's something we're missing."

"How'd you expect to find out what? Have Ibiki interrogate him?" Jiraiya asked, frustration clearly showing in his voice.

"If only I could, but that's a move I can't make until we have at least an idea of what he used this creature for. Speculation alone won't sway the council to let me do it." She sighed, dropping her head against her hands.

"The council should have no sway over the decision. You're the Hokage, Tsunade. The council is only there as a guide, not a decision maker." Jiraiya crossed his arms and shifted his weight in an agitated fashion.

"You know as well as I do there's nothing I can do now. The civilian council seized more power for themselves during the break between Sensei's death and my appointment as Hokage. Not to mention they over powered Sensei so easily when he was reinstated as Hokage that it was almost disgraceful. As much as I don't like it, they have authority now… Enough to challenge mine, in part thanks to Danzo's continuation of ROOT. Which brings us back to square one, what do we do about this?"

Before Jiraiya could respond, a knock sounded at the door. After a moment, it opened to reveal Shizune in a haggard state.

"Yes Shizune?"

Said woman stepped forward and bowed politely before speaking. "My apologies milady, but the Amekage is here and requests to see you immediately."

* * *

It had been three days since the earthquake and Sakura was still unsettled. There had been no word about what had happened and she had been shot down every time she tried to ask Tsunade about it. It worried her that they were being left in the dark. She got the feeling that this had been a sign of worse things to come, especially when she noticed how tense Itachi had become. She found it very strange that this had unbalanced him and it only served to worry her more. She got the feeling that Itachi and an idea as to what was going on, but he wasn't talking. Something told her that if he did know something, he had yet to share it with Tsunade and that left her with a sinking stomach. She had pondered over what to do about these things and had decided to confront him. She gathered all her courage together as she opened the door to their apartment. Glancing around, she found him nowhere in sight. Venturing further in, she noticed the door to his room was open. Peeking in, she found him sitting on his bed, polishing his kunai. Knocking lightly, she entered the doorway and waited. At the sound, Itachi raised his head up to show he was listening and paused his polishing. Taking a moment to collect herself, Sakura took a deep breath and looked him in the eye despite his blindness.

"We need to talk." After a moment he nodded for her to continue.

"You've been acting strange since the quake, and I get the feeling that you're hiding something about it." She paused, hoping for him to either confirm or deny her thoughts. He did neither. Sighing, she approached him and took a seat on his bed. "Itachi, if you know something then you need to tell Tsunade-sama. It's your duty as a former Konoha shinobi to share information with the Hokage." She paused again, but he kept his silence. "Please Itachi, I'm worried that something bad is going to happen…"

"You need to calm down Sakura." His voice soothed her frayed nerves.

"Itachi?" she asked, looking at him with worry filled eyes.

"Yes, however, my knowledge would be of little help." His voice was flat; there was no inflection to indicate what he was feeling.

"What do you mean?" Now she was confused.

Itachi turned and placed his kunai and polish cloth on the bedside table before answering. "There is nothing we can do to stop what is coming."

Sakura knitted her eyebrows together, showing her frustration. "I don't understand, there has to be something we can do."

"No, there's not." His tone showing his word was final.

She grunted in agitation while her hands clenched the sheets beneath her. "Why not?"

Tilting his head downward, pulling his sightless eyes away from her, he replied. "This threat is not human, it cannot be defeated by mortal means."

This caught Sakura off guard. "What?" her brain seemed to struggle to understand. "Not… human?" she stared at him a moment. "Is this thing a biju?"

Itachi released a shallow breath. "No, This creature is the enemy of the planet itself, we are merely in the crossfire."

Silence reigned while Sakura tried to comprehend what she had just been told.

"Itachi…" she hesitated. "What exactly is going on?"

He was silent, as if he was debating what to say. When he finally did answer, he looked her straight in the eye with his glazed onyx orbs piercing straight through her. His voice was low, and almost frozen. What he said chilled her to the bone.

"The end of the world."


End file.
